Long Time Coming
by BeginAgain46
Summary: They were a relationship just waiting to happen, in spite of everything. And they were going to make it work, no matter what. TATE
1. Jolt

**Long Time Coming** by saulalovin 

A **NCIS** fan fiction

**Pairing:** Tony DiNozzo and Kate Todd

**Summary:** They were a relationship just waiting to happen, in spite of everything. And they were going to make it work, no matter what.

**Spoilers:** A bit for 'Conspiracy Theory', since this is set directly afterwards. I loved their banter in this episode, and the wet T-shirt/Sex Machine thing.

**Disclaimer:** Last time I checked, they still weren't mine. They belong to the Donald. No, not Donald Trump. The _other_ Donald – Donald P. Bellisario. …Okay, I'll stop with the stupid puns now.

**Author's Note:** I'm going for a longer Tate fic this time. I felt like it was time. Heehee. Oh, review please. And most importantly, enjoy the Tate-ness of it all!

The doors slid open and Special Agent Tony DiNozzo hurried inside, Special Agent Kate Todd at his heels. He jabbed furiously at the button until the doors shut and slumped against the cool metal of the elevator.

"I thought you deleted it!" she hissed, delivering a whack to his upper arm.

"Ow! Jeez, that hurt!" he whined. His eyes narrowed. "Hey – I thought you deleted it, too! It's _just our luck_ that we sent it to Gibbs, of all people. I mean, even sending it to _Probie _would've been a hell of a lot better."

"This is all your fault," she told him with a scowl, keeping her eyes trained on the numbers as they descended to the parking lot.

"My fault! Who started it with the 'Sex Machine' crack, huh?"

Before she could reply, the elevator gave a jolt as the lights flickered. Kate found herself being thrown across the elevator and landing onto something soft. She heard a soft "oof!", and when the lights came back on, she found herself on top of Tony, staring into his eyes with her face hovering dangerously close to his.

Time seemed to slow down. She noticed every single thing that happened: The shock that flitted across Tony's eyes. Tony as he licked his lips slowly, his eyes never leaving hers. Her heartbeat, which was pounding faster than ever. His heartbeat through his shirt, beating a little faster than normal as she lay on top of him. The questioning look in his eyes. Both of them leaning in closer simultaneously, until their lips touched. Tony smiling against her mouth as she pressed her lips onto his. His fingers running through her dark hair, pulling her closer still. His tongue, gently coaxing her mouth open. Her mouth parting slightly, allowing him entrance. The duel of their tongues as they deepened their kiss.

And just like that, the moment stopped. Time righted itself and continued on in its usual steady rhythm, and Reality came crashing down on her.

She pulled away and stood up quickly, facing the other way so he wouldn't see the tears that had sprung in her eyes. "I-I… Tony… We…" She gave a perturbed little noise and fell silent.

He watched her from the floor with hurt evident in his eyes, and noticed from the reflection on the shiny doors that she looked like she was about to cry. "Come on, Kate. It just…happened."

"Nothing happened, okay, Tony?" It came out harsher than she'd wanted it to, and a tear trickled down her cheek as she pressed the button that opened the elevator doors. She kept her head down as she exited, leaving him inside, still sprawled on the floor.

Tony got up and watched her hurry towards her car. He meant to go after her, but his feet didn't seem to be cooperating with him. He let out a frustrated groan and hit the elevator wall with his fist angrily. "Dammit!"

* * *

To be continued... 


	2. Look in His Eyes

I am tempted to make a list of reasons of why I shouldn't have kissed Tony, just to remind myself why I should stay far, far away from him.

But right now, I'm way too preoccupied with trying to forget how good it felt, how everything had suddenly seemed so _right_, just by having his arms wrapped around me.

I shouldn't be feeling this way. I should be thoroughly disgusted with him, as well as with myself, for engaging in such behavior. I should be brushing my teeth furiously and rinsing out my mouth, just for having his lips touch mine. I should be cleaning my tongue since – oh God – we, um, did a rather thorough investigation of each other's mouths.

Oh my God, I totally made out with Tony DiNozzo! In public! _In the elevator_! **On the floor**!

I am _so_ going to hell.

Still…those kisses. They were good. Really, really good. Mind-blowing, really…

_Focus_, Kate. Remember why Tony DiNozzo is totally off-limits!

First of all, he goes through women like _Kleenex_. This wouldn't be a relationship – it would be more like a friendship, with benefits. He has no heart at all – he'll use you, and once he's found someone new, he'll drop you faster than you can berate yourself for getting involved with him in the first place.

Second, once Gibbs finds out – and oh God, he will _so _find out…he probably already _knows _– once he finds out, all hell will break loose. I'll lose my job. He'll smack Tony on the head and then fire him, too. I'm positive neither one of us wants to feel the wrath of Jethro Gibbs.

Third, he could not _possibly_ fall in love with me. I could not fall in love with him. Everyone knows that two headstrong, stubborn people in a relationship together would never work. We'd _kill_ each other in two days, tops. We're already at each other's throats – and we're _just_ _friends_. …Okay, that's a very optimistic thing to call our current relationship, but whatever. The chances of us continuing our – er, whatever you call what we had, pre- make-out session – after (God forbid) _getting_ _together _are like _nil_. And things right now are just _fine_. We don't need to complicate things further.

Fourth… Okay, I've run out of reasons, but those three reasons were more than enough.

I am not going to pursue a relationship with Tony DiNozzo. And that's _final_.

I mean, I don't even know why I'm obsessing over this. It was a complete no-brainer. Tony DiNozzo and Kate Todd, together? That's like the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard…

…Although Caitlin DiNozzo has a nice ring to it. And so does Kate DiNozzo.

Oh my GOD! What is _wrong _with me? I am fantasizing taking Tony's last name. Eww, gross!

I desperately need to scrub at my brain. God knows what kind of junk is in there, causing all these horrible thoughts.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

I freaked out when I saw Tony's face staring back at me from my sketchpad.

I should have known better than to doodle while thinking about him.

Almost unconsciously I had drawn his face from memory. First the outline of his face, and then I had added in more of his features. His hair, slightly mussed, the way he always wears it. Those perfect, soft lips, and then his nose. His mouth was parted into his famous, charming grin, the one that showed off all of his pearly-whites. Lastly, I had drawn his eyes. Usually, I have a problem with drawing the eyes of people – they're so intimate and reveal so much of a person that it's difficult to portray that on paper –, but his were easy. They were clearly Tony's eyes – full of life and with a hint of mischievousness.

Oh God.

I remember what were in those eyes earlier. There was lust, yes, but it wasn't what was the most prominent.

Love was.

And not to far from that – care and concern.

Oh, my God.

I'm a freaking profiler. I'm pretty sure I read it right. And I'm pretty sure he wasn't acting.

He was for real.


	3. And That's That

Wow, thank you so much for the great reviews. They mean a lot to me, they really do. Hope you like this one. And sorry about the formatting and the errors. No one beta'd this, and I'm new to so I'm still learning how to deal with loading chapters and things like that. Okay, I'm going to stop talking - er, typing - now.

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* * *

__It just_…_happened._

That's what I told her a while ago, before she walked away in tears.

And that's exactly how it was. First we were arguing – our usual activity – and then the elevator jolted, throwing us off-balance. I landed on the floor, and she wound up on top of me, and…

She was beautiful. I had to fight the urge to push back a lock of hair that had fallen into her eyes. My heart started to speed up a little, and I had to kiss her. Just one kiss.

I guess she felt the same way, because she started to lean in just as I did. I felt her lips on mine and I smiled, because it felt _awesome_.

Screw having just one kiss – I needed more. So I pulled her closer, running my hands through her hair. I probed gently with my tongue, and she opened her mouth, letting me in.

Then the lights came back on. The elevator started moving again. She pulled away from me and stood up as fast as she could. She tried to say something, but all she could do was stammer.

I didn't understand what was going on. We were kissing. Things were fine.

I saw her face in the reflection of the elevator doors. She looked like she was about to cry.

"_Nothing happened, okay, Tony?" _she told me harshly, before pressing the button. As she hurried through the open elevator doors towards the parking lot, a tear rolled down her cheek and landed on the ground.

I wanted to go after her. I really did. But I couldn't. My feet seemed rooted to the ground.

I guess it was for the best, that I didn't go after her. She needed time to just process what happened. We both did.

My hand hurts pretty badly. I mean, I _did _ram it into the elevator wall. I couldn't help it. I had quite possibly ruined things with Kate Todd.

I know she's scared. I am, too. But there was something _there _when we had kissed. Something that was worth pursuing.

I'm not an idiot. I am hugely aware of the fact that I could hurt her, that I could break her heart.

I've never really let a woman into my heart. Into my bed, maybe, but never into my heart. I've never led them on to thinking that we could have a _real_ relationship – a relationship with love, and care, and…

**I've never been that kind of guy**. I've never really believed in love, either.

I know she knows that. I suspect that's part of the reason why she isn't even going to _try_.

I don't blame her. She doesn't want to get hurt by men – especially by me.

Still, I can't shake the feeling that _this_ – me and Kate – could be different.

Should I go over there?

Would she even give me a _chance_?

Dammit, this is _not_ like me. I am obsessing over a girl. I have _never_ done that before.

Shit, I am dead meat if – _when _– Gibbs finds out about this. He'll fire my ass in a split second.

Note to self: Must not let Gibbs find out about kiss between Kate and I!

What am I going to do?

Should I go over to Kate's?

Crap, there's the doorbell.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

I told her we couldn't do this anymore.

She looked like she was about to slap me. Instead, she let out an indignant huff and slammed my door in my face.

Well, that took care of that. She even saved me the trouble of going over there.


	4. Take a Chance

She was surprised to see him standing outside her apartment door, his arm poised to knock.

"Hey," he said softly, lowering his arm somewhat sheepishly. "Can we talk?"

She swallowed hard and opened the door wider to let him in. "I was actually on my way to see you," she confessed.

"Yeah?" He shrugged out of his jacket and hung it on a peg on her coat rack.

"Yeah. Um, have a seat," she said, gesturing to her couch. "Do you want anything to drink or something?"

"No, I'm fine," he said, an uneasy flutter starting his stomach. "And, uh…I think I'll stand."

"Well…suit yourself, then." She nervously tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and crossed her arms. "So, um…what did you want to talk about?"

Tony didn't say anything for a moment. He stared at his feet, trying to gather up both the courage as well as the right things to say before opening his mouth. Finally, he looked up and into her eyes. "I know you probably think kissing me a while ago was a mistake."

She didn't have to say anything; the red tinge in her cheeks told him that he was right. She smiled a funny little half-smile at him, her eyes apologetic. "Well…can you blame me?"

"No, I understand why you feel that way. Listen, I know I'm not exactly…" He broke off, turning away from her and exhaling noisily. This was harder than he'd ever imagined. "I haven't really shown that I can be committed to a woman, and I guess that's one of the reasons why you think that. Right?"

Kate nodded and stepped closer to him. "Look, Tony – "

"Please, just let me finish?" he said pleadingly.

"Okay," she whispered almost fearfully, unsure of where this conversation was heading.

"You can't deny that we had something, Kate."

"I – " She threw her hands up in exasperation, trying to blink back tears. "Tony, that was lust and you know it."

He couldn't believe this. He hadn't known how she'd react to his confession, but he had hoped that it would've been positive. He hadn't even let himself consider something like this, in fear of jinxing the whole thing or something.

"It wasn't just lust, Kate," he said softly, dejectedly. He decided to just let it all out. He was in way too deep already. "I've done some thinking and… I think this could be different. _We _could be different. We can make this work, if we just try. I know it. I've never felt this way before. I mean… God, Kate, have you ever _seen_ me this serious before, about a woman? About _you_?" He slowly made his way to her and gently brought her face up, forcing her to look at him. "Come on, Kate. I know you felt something, too."

Her eyes filled with tears once more. She didn't reply, and instead looked away from him.

Tony's heart just about broke into a thousand tiny pieces. "Fine, Kate," he said quietly. "Be that way. God, couldn't you, for just _once_ in your life, take a chance?" With one last look at her, he turned and headed for the door.

She watched him put on his jacket, his movements angry and tense. She knew she had to make a decision, and fast:

_Take a chance and risk getting hurt again, or not taking a chance and wondering for the rest of her life about what could've been?_

He tried to slow his actions, still fervently hoping that she would come to her senses and call his name. But as he placed his hand on the cold doorknob, he still heard nothing. Lowering his head, he turned the knob and…

"Wait, Tony," Kate blurted out, running towards her apartment door and grabbing his arm. He turned around, and tears began to spill out, falling and wetting his jacket. "You're right. I _did_ feel it. But we…" She gestured wildly with her hands. "I don't want to get hurt again," she whispered almost inaudibly.

He softened and hesitantly pulled her into his arms. She fell into them, sobbing shakily, clutching him tightly, and they stood like that for long minutes.

Finally she looked up at him, her face still wet with tears. "I've done my best, all these years, to stay strong – to protect myself and never let a man see me vulnerable. _I don't want to get hurt again_," she repeated softly.

Tony took her face in his hands and brushed away her tears with his thumbs. She smiled slightly at the uncharacteristic, sensitive Tony she was seeing.

"I can't say what will happen in the future," he told her, caressing her cheek. "But I will tell you this. If you decide to give us a shot, I will do my best to make this work. I don't want to hurt you any more than you want to get hurt. I know you're scared, and believe me, so am I. This will be the first relationship I'm going to work hard at. I'm giving you my heart, and I hope that you trust me enough to give me yours."

Sniffling, she smiled at him. "That was beautiful. I had no idea you had it in you."

He smirked. "There are a lot of things you have yet to learn about me, Kate. So…?" His eyes were hopeful.

_Come on, give me a shot. Let me in, Kate._

"Do you want to stay? We could watch a DVD or something," she said in reply to his unspoken question, taking his hands in hers.

"Sounds good. But about that 'or something'…" he said, raising an eyebrow at her.

"What about it?" she asked, wrapping her arms around his neck and leaning in closer to his face.

"Let's take it slow. I don't want to hurt you, remember?" He brushed his lips against hers and gave her a chaste kiss.

Kate's eyes welled up again. "Wow, you're really serious about this, aren't you?"

"I am. Did I tell you about how I broke it off with Amber a while ago?"

"Who's this Amber?"

"Oh, you know…"

"Flavor of the week?"

"Not anymore."

"Good answer, DiNozzo."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

She had fallen asleep sometime during the movie, and had curled up against him. He stroked her hair and admired how beautiful and peaceful she looked asleep.

She was his. And he was hers.

* * *

Heehee, I had you guys going, didn't I? I never said it was Kate who rang Tony's doorbell. wink Oh, and I have no idea who Amber is. I just made her up.

Special thanks to the following, who have reviewed LTC at least once (props to those who have reviewed once per chapter): **EquestrianBabe**, **shirik**, **freitazal**, **WBH21C**, **WiseDreamer**, **RitzBitz**, **stuckinabook09**, **sinj**, **Angelii**, **Candice**, **DinozzoFan**, **Spikey** **the Neon BlowFish**, and **killkikyopeople**. Thank you too to **those who are going to review this last chapter of LTC**. Your reviews keep me going.


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